Everything is Gonna Be Alright
by Kitty Rasputin
Summary: Cain helps DG feel better when gets stressed out. Can be seen as CainDG, but does not have to be.


"Everything is Gonna Be Alright" by Kitty Rasputin

Disclaimer-Tin Man is not mine. I just like to dabble with the characters.

The princess was missing and Wyatt Cain had a feeling he was the only one that could find her. He'd noticed the signs for some time now that she wasn't happy, but he hadn't said anything. Being thrust into the role of a princess was not exactly what she had thought, if she had ever really stopped to think of it. She had been so focused on saving her family that she had never really given the future any thought. Now, she was paying for this by giving up all her time and energy for her family. He saw the toll it was taking on her and couldn't bring himself to ask her to speak to him about it.

It was no wonder that DG was miserable. Her parents had her going to balls and meeting dignitaries every day of the week. It seemed as if every lord, lady, and mayor in the entire O.Z. was invited to these events. And then there were the suitors. She'd had at least three dozen proposals in the last two months since the eclipse. He'd heard her mutter something about being a prize-winning brood mare. The endless parade of parties and state dinners would have had any woman going a little crazy, but to deal with a bunch of strangers that wanted to marry her was too much for even a strong-willed woman like DG. In fact, he wondered why she hadn't thrown a fit about it or even complained before now.

Cain walked into the Fairfax bar. It was a little hole-in-the-wall joint that he had showed to DG on one of their few trips around Central City. Even though it was only a half a mile away from the palace, it was not a place that any of the royals should be seen in. However, he had taken notice of when DG couldn't handle anymore of the court protocols and snuck her out of the palace a few times. It was one of the few times he had seen her completely relax since the eclipse, even though it was potentially more dangerous outside the safety of her own home. It was not easy for her to remain safely locked in that cage that she was supposed to call home, no matter how gilded it was. It was no wonder that she had gone missing.

Cain couldn't view her as just a princess. They had become close friends over their journey through the O.Z. and nothing would change that. She had even insisted that he, Glitch, and Raw still call her by her first name. However, as close as they had become, they each had drifted apart slowly. He kept in contact with the others by having meals with them a few times a week, but DG was always too busy to join them. Each of them had noticed that she didn't smile nearly as often as she used to. When she did, it almost never reached her eyes. It broke his heart to remember how cheerful and optimistic she had been before the eclipse, especially since she had to be so reserved and polite to them now.

He glanced around the bar quickly, grateful for the anonymity that the dark lighting gave him. The bar owner knew him by sight and there had never any bad feelings between the two of them. The man looked up from the drink he was pouring and met Cain's eyes. Then, he nodded toward a corner where there was almost no light at all. A slight figure sat with their back to the wall and a glass of whiskey clenched in their hand. A wide-brimmed hat covered the person's face, but he knew instantly who it was. He'd bought the hat for her so she could hide her hair under it and remain almost invisible to the other people walking through the streets. Nobody had ever given her a second glance just like he had planned. It was almost inconceivable that the crown princess would be wandering around without a legion of guards to protect her, let alone in men's clothes.

Cain walked up to the table and was pleased to hear a gun cocking as he did so. He'd shown her how to use a gun just after the eclipse and he knew that she would shoot if she had to. It was what he had taught her to do. It was only then that he realized she hadn't recognized him. "You wouldn't really shoot me, would you, kiddo?"

The figure in the chair slumped a little. "I should have known that you would find me. After all, you did show me this place." She took another drink of her whiskey, but wouldn't look up to meet his eyes. "I suppose you have to take me back now."

He sat down in the chair beside her and looked around at the other patrons. Nobody was paying them any attention. Then, he considered where DG had placed herself in relation to everybody else. She was in the perfect defensive position and could see anybody that would come near her. It was another thing he had taught her: to always be on her guard. Even in this place where she had nobody putting pressure on her, Cain noticed that she couldn't relax. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to wait a little bit before escorting her home. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

DG looked up and met his eyes for the first time since he had entered the bar. He was shocked by how close to tears she was. "I can't do it anymore, Cain. They all want me to be this perfect princess and I'm just a farm girl from Kansas. I'm not used to dressing up in fancy clothes and having people bow to me. I hate having to go to these stupid balls and watching men I've never seen before profess their undying love for me. This person out there that does those things isn't me. I don't even know who Princess Dorothy Gale is. I just want to go back to being DG." The quiet, but fierce confession seemed to wipe out all of the fight in her. She put her head in her hands and began crying softly.

Cain moved his chair closer to her and put his arm around her. He'd known that it might end up like this soon. "Everything is gonna be alright." He pulled her closer and rubbed her back. "I promise you that. Everything is gonna be alright."

After a few moments, DG stopped crying. She still kept her head buried in his chest, though. "What am I gonna do, Cain? I can't keep up this act anymore. I can't pretend that this is who I am."

"Well, first of all, you need to get out of this place. Everyone in this town has a plan for you and nobody has stopped to ask you what you want. You've got to get somewhere away from here and figure things out for yourself." He couldn't help sighing. "It's why you left the palace tonight, isn't it? If you let them push you around now, you won't have any freedom later. Your parents might even convince you to get married if you let them." He laughed at her grimace from his words.

It was obvious that DG knew that he was right. She was trying to please everyone and not doing anything to please herself. It was a self-destructive behavior that could have ended in her conforming completely to everyone else or even committing suicide. Thankfully, she had at least one person that was watching out for her well being. If anything else happened, he would be there to catch her.

"Will you say it again?' Her voice was so soft that he almost didn't hear her. "Please tell me that again, Cain."

He didn't have to ask what she meant. There was no need. Instead, he just wrapped his other arm around her and tilted her hat back on her head. The corner was dark enough that nobody would notice that the crown princess was in their midst. Cain pressed his lips to her forehead and whispered the words he knew would make her feel better. "Everything is gonna be alright."

VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV

A small piece of fluff I couldn't resist writing. I was listening to Shawn Mullin's "Lullaby" and the idea wouldn't leave me alone. It's not my best work, but I wanted to write a cute Cain/DG fic and this is what came out. I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
